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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(October 2005) |
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The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.
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Searching for Joy? It’s Got Two Ingredients – Purpose and Gratitude BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Oct 31, 2005
Joy is possible even in the midst of tragedy because it is unencumbered by time or place. But where does joy live? How do you find it each and every day?. . . It was one of those days.
The children were getting on my nerves, and I was in the doghouse with my wife. Nothing seemed to be going my way. I was staring at a stack of bills on the desk and yet hadn’t heard from my agent in what seemed like months. I had errands to run, the car was making funny noises and I was sitting in the middle of Los Angeles traffic. I was not looking for a fight, however if anyone else was, I was more than happy to oblige. It was just one of those days. . .
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- Parenting Issues: 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich’ Tells Black Kids They’ve Two Options -- Wealth or Death BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Deborah Mathis, Oct 30, 2005
It’s disturbing that 50 Cent’s response to criticism about advertisements for his new movie was sardonic and self-congratulatory. “I do appreciate it,” he said after folks in Los Angeles protested a large billboard promoting the movie, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” with the rapper splayed across the board, his muscle-bound, tattoo-smothered back to the camera and a gun in one hand, a microphone in the other. “They are helping me out.”. . . What disturbs about 50 Cent’s retort is that he’s probably right. You can bet that droves of young people will pour into theaters to see the film. . . I do like 50 Cent’s beats and his melodies. Millions do. That’s why he’s rich and famous. His lyrics, however, do treason to his people -- something his patron, Eminem, wouldn’t understand and probably wouldn’t care about if he did. . .
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- Kim Cattrall blames show for marriage break
down FemaleFirst.co.uk, UK - Oct 30,
2005
Kim Cattrall has blamed 'Sex and the City'
for the breakdown of her marriage. The stunning actress claims her
now-ex-husband Mark Levinson didn't like the raunchy storylines of
her sex-mad character Samantha Jones. She also admits he was
unhappy with the long hours she had to work on the hit show. Kim
revealed to Britain's New magazine: "He was a fan of the show, but
I think he had problems with some of the episodes and storylines,
although I did not feel that way. And I was also on a schedule that
never stopped; he was 10 years older than me, and I feel maybe it
was ultimately quite challenging to him. . .
"
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- Marriage Found to Improve the Lives of Black Families National Center for Policy Analysis, US, October 28, 2005
Marriage benefits black families and can even make a difference in whether a family with children lives in poverty, but has little or no impact on a couple's health, according to a new study. These benefits, however, are not always evenly distributed within the black family. It appears that men and children -- especially boys -- are helped more from marriage than women, said Linda Malone-Colon, co-author of the study released this week by the Institute of American Values (IAV). The IAV researchers reviewed 125 social science articles and national survey data on how marriage affects black families. They found: - On average, married black men and women were wealthier and happier than their unmarried peers.
- Economically, having a spouse -- and often a second income -- brought substantial dividends.
- One study reviewed in the report found that family incomes of black single parents (usually mothers) grew by 81 percent when they married...
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- Q & A: Put some faith in your
marriage Kansas City Star (Free
Subscription), MO, By BILLY GRAHAM, Oct 28,
2005
Q: DEAR BILLY
GRAHAM: My husband and I have been married for three months, and
the last few weeks all we’ve done is argue. Now I’m wondering if we
made a bad mistake by getting married. If that’s true, wouldn’t it
be better to get out now instead of letting it go on and on? I’m
really crushed over this. — Mrs. M.R.
A: DEAR MRS. M.R.: Many couples experience what you’re going
through, and I sincerely hope you won’t let these “bumps in the
road” discourage you. You see, you and your husband made a vow before
God when you were married, a vow to be faithful to each other as
long as you live. God loves you, and he wants you to take that vow
seriously, because it will see you through the rough times and
bring security to your marriage. . .Many enter marriage thinking it will be an
uninterrupted romance. But marriage involves adjustment, and a
willingness to forgive and to change. The biggest enemy of any
marriage is selfishness — insisting on our own way and not seeking
what is best for our spouse. Look carefully at the Bible’s
description of true love:. . . .
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- Parenting Issues: 50 Cent gun posters to come
down BBC News, UK - Oct
28, 2005
The distributor of rapper 50 Cent's
new film has said it is removing posters advertising the film after
complaints they glorify gun violence. . . Mr Antonovich sent a
letter to Paramount chairman Brad Grey asking him to remove the
billboards, starting with one outside a school in Altadena, a
suburb north of Los Angeles. "This billboard conveys to the
students a disturbing message actively promoting gun violence,
criminal behaviour and gang affiliation," he wrote. Activists in
the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Hyde Park - an area affected by
gang violence - staged a rally earlier in the week calling on
Paramount to remove a billboard next to the pre-school. The sign
was taken down the next day and a Paramount spokeswoman said more
would follow. . .
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- Parenting Issues: Sex and
Schoolkids Townhall.com, By Jeff Jacoby, Oct 24, 2005
. . . Are you scandalized by news of
high school kids having sex? Is anybody? Last month the National
Center for Health Statistics
reported that more than half of American teenagers 15 and older
engage in oral
sex; the story
got a ton of coverage, but no one seemed terribly dismayed or
surprised by the information. "At 50 percent, we're talking about a
major social norm," Claire Brindis, a professor of pediatrics at
the University of California, told The Washington Post.
"It's part of kids' lives." . . . There is something
awfully sad and strange about a culture in which teenage sex is
condoned so long as it is "safe," while
teenage smoking is denounced as categorically wrong. Sex has become
a mere issue of health and the law, while morality is reserved for
tobacco. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Oral Sex Common
Among U.S. Teens Fox
News-WebMD, By Miranda Hitti, Sept 16, 2005
RELATED ARTICLE: Sex
habits Linked to Early Death, Disability
Fox News- Web-MD, By Jennifer Warner, Jan 26, 2005
RELATED ARTICLE: More
Teens Delay First-Time Sex Fox
News-WebMD, By Miranda Hitti, Dec 10, 2004
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- Health Issues: When the Z's You Get Aren't Yours New York Times, By Lizette Alvarez, Oct 20, 2005
AS marriage proposals go, this one was textbook: A Caribbean cruise, a night bursting with stars, a pitch-perfect dinner and then, after retiring to a private balcony, a bottle of Dom Pérignon. Ed Silcox Jr. dropped to one knee and presented an impeccable diamond ring to the bride-to-be, Johanna Murtha, who stifled tears. They scurried to bed, blissfully falling asleep in each other's arms. Then the farce began: Mr. Silcox, 46, started to snore: a cabin-rattling crescendo that built from minor rasp to mind-blowing snort. . .
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- 'Happy'
housewives finally get their due USA Today, By Carol Memmott, Oct 19,
2005
... Happy Housewives (ReganBooks, $24.95)
also is the name of her just-released book, subtitled, I was a
whining, miserable, desperate housewife — but I finally snapped out
of it ... You can, too! . . . I feel a little
bit upset over what I call the hoopla over Desperate Housewives,"
she says. "Stay-at-home moms get no respect, and then this TV show
comes along which portrays women as stupid and strung out and
cheating on their husbands. More women are associating themselves
with that." The cover of Shine's book, as well as her photo on the
book jacket, are reminiscent of the 1950s ideal woman. They're
meant as a spoof, but maybe today's women can learn something from
those housewives, she says. . .
BOOK EXCERPT: 'Happy
Housewives'
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- Parenting Issues: Teens define sex in new
ways USA Today.com,
By Sharon Jayson, Oct 19, 2005
The generational
divide between baby-boomer parents and their teenage offspring is
sharpening over sex. Oral sex, that is. More than half of 15-
to 19-year-olds are doing it, according to a groundbreaking study
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers
did not ask about the circumstances in which oral sex occurred, but
the report does provide the first federal data that offer a peek
into the sex lives of American teenagers. . . Among teens, oral sex
is often viewed so casually that it needn't even occur within the
confines of a relationship. Some teens say it can take place at
parties, possibly with multiple partners. But they say the more
likely scenario is oral sex within an existing relationship. .
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"Technical virginity" becomes part of
teens' equation USA Today.com, By Sharon Jayson, Oct 19, 2005
Ten years after Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky's
relationship made oral sex a mainstream topic, there's still plenty
of debate over whether oral sex is really sex. . ."The implications
are that teens who define themselves as abstinent may be engaging
in oral sex," says Jennifer Manlove, a senior research associate
with the non-profit group Child Trends, which analyzed the federal
data. . .
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- Beckhams go to court in defence of their marriage The Daily Mail- UK, By Nicole Lampert and Richard Simpson, Oct 18, 2005
They have always insisted their marriage is a happy one. Now David and Victoria Beckham will have to prove it - in court. They are challenging allegations that they have "cynically" presented a false image to the public to protect "Brand Beckham". The pair, who are suing the News of the World for libel, will have to show that their marriage is as strong as they insist it is amid allegations of infidelity, rows and cruelty to each other. . .
- Kristin Scott Thomas: 'I'm wary of trust' The Telegraph- UK, By John Preston, Octobe 17, 2005
Has Kristin Scott Thomas really left her husband for actor Tobias Menzies? As she prepares for her latest stage role-- playing a woman who's lost her memory-- John preston plucks up the courage to ask her. . . .
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- Divided they
fall TownHall.com, DC, By Jennifer Roback
Morse, October 17, 2005
Marriage is the most basic unit of social
cooperation. If spousal cooperation breaks down, the available
substitutes are expensive and inadequate. I’ve always talked
about this as a fiscal and political issue. Now an adult child of
divorced parents makes the same point from a psychological
perspective. Elizabeth Marquardt’s book, Between Two Worlds: The
Inner Lives of Children of Divorce , tells the poignant story of kids trying to make
sense of their worlds after divorce. Even when the parents are
conscientious and loving, the children still struggle to resolve
conflicts that are usually an adult responsibility, not a child’s.
. . divorce creates a whole constellation of adults circling around
the child. Besides the parents, there are stepparents or new
girlfriends or new boyfriends. Often, there are grandparents in the
picture, sometimes more than one set. It is tough to get two
quarreling parents to work with us: it is almost impossible to get
all these adults on the same page. . .
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Bennett Proved That
He Doesn’t Get It, but Do We ‘Get It’ on Abortion? BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C.
Phillips, Oct 17, 2005
We cannot call for the head of the former
secretary of education while celebrating Planned Parenthood's Faye
Wattleton as a folk hero. . .Thirty-five percent of the 1.5 million
abortions performed every year are performed on black women.
Roughly 15 million innocent black lives have been taken since 1973.
These lives were not lost to white racists acting on a fear of
black criminal behavior. They were lives taken by black women
exercising “choice” -- exercising, in fact, what Bennett only
pondered.
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- Shacked-up couples
eyeing marriage Edmonton
Sun, Canada, By Valerie Gibson- Sun Media,Oct 16,
2005
. . .The
popularity of cohabiting is so great it's been predicted it could
eventually mean the demise of the institution of marriage. But the
winds of change may now be blowing in a different direction.
Despite marriage statistics that almost half the unions will end in
divorce, many couples, especially younger ones, appear to be opting
for marriage again, even though they may be already living
together. It's a highly visible trend already seen among Hollywood
celebrities such as Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, where getting
married and having a baby has become almost a status symbol. Tom
Cruise and Katie Holmes also. . .
- The Single
Stigma Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN, By
Lisa Miller, Oct 18, 2005
Marriage
is in the air - and on our radios, televisions, newspapers,
magazines and bakery cake racks. Everywhere you look, the message
is clear as wedding-gift crystal: Get married! Everybody's doing
it! It's a directive some singles are tired of hearing. .
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- Angelina Jolie Wanted for Sex, Jennifer Aniston Marriage,
Poll National Ledger, AZ, By Jennifer
Cox, Oct 16, 2005
Brad Pitt has a pretty good thing going according to a
new poll. His last two sexual partners, Jennifer Aniston and
Angelina Jolie top a new poll of women that men find
desirable. Cosmo put together an interesting survey where
they reportedly quizzed men on the most desirable babe that they
would like to jump in the sack with, and the woman they would love
to spend the rest of their lives with. Brad Pitt has just jumped
from one to the other. . .
- Could you be Dating a Married Man? AOL Black Voices, By Michele Bender-
Courtesy of Match.com's Happen magazine, Oct 14, 2005
Do you ever wonder if your guy might already be
someone else's mister? Sometimes those little red flags add up to a
big picture that's not so pretty. Check out some clues that you
might be loving him on somebody else's time. .
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Q & A: 'Vodoo' religion worries beau,
so put marriage talk on hold Arizona Republic, AZ, Oct 15,
2005
Q: I have a problem I've never read
about in advice columns. It involves a lady I met three months ago.
This woman is kind, loving and beautiful, and my family loves her.
She is definitely someone I could see raising children with, and we
have discussed marriage. The problem is her Santeria, a faith she
brought with her from New York when she moved to Houston. Mis
amigos, I must tell you that her religion amounts to voodoo for
me. My sister urges tolerance, but we were raised devout Catholics,
and I can't help but think that her beliefs are a perversion of
mine. Sometimes she laughs at me and says our life together
wouldn't involve blood or sacrificing chickens. I wish I could
think that was funny. . .
A: . . Opening your mind is certainly one
way to test the possibility of a future with your voodoo princess.
There are some perverse, intertwined similarities between
Catholicism and Santeria, and it is up to you to figure out whether
your faith-based belief system can co-exist with hers. Many
religious practices fall under the occult heading. .
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- Marriage
miserable in your mind? Gwinnett Daily Post, GA, By Lisa Earle
McLeod Oct 15, 2005
What’s the
biggest blocker to intimacy is your relationship? Is it your
husband’s stubborn refusal to open up? Your wife’s bizarre notion
that dusting the top of the TV is more important than sex? Or
perhaps it’s meddling in-laws, clingy kids and demanding bosses who
have a stranglehold on you and your spouse? For most of us, it’s
none of the above. As delightful as it would be to reprogram
everybody else, the biggest barrier to intimacy is usually smack in
the middle of our own brains. Imagine my shock when I dove into
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Intimacy (Penguin, $18.95)
with my yellow highlighter in hand, ready to mark pertinent
passages for my husband, only to discover I was the one who “had
issues.” . . .Coleman effectively illustrates what most of
us already know and prefer to ignore, that “your mind, unleashed at
even a fraction of its potential, can create your own heaven or
hell.”. . . .
RELATED SITE: www.Paul-Coleman.com
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- How does prayer influence a
marriage? Charlotte Observer (Free
Subscription), NC, Oct 15, 2005
Do couples that pray together
really stay together? Researchers at the University of Georgia will
examine the effects of prayer on marital relationships in a
three-year study to begin this fall. The $1.1 million study will
involve 500 black couples from rural northeast Georgia, ages 21-45,
who are married or have set a wedding date. . . Researchers will
investigate whether couples who pray for each other find their
relationships improved in a way that doesn't happen for those who
are not using prayer. . .
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1 nation – 2 Catholic
churches WorldNetDaily, OR , Oh! Canada- Ted
Byfield, Oct 15, 2005
The thorny problem confronting the bishops
of the Catholic Church in Canada – Should Catholic members of
Parliament be denied communion if they voted for same-sex marriage?
– became slightly thornier this month. Although Prime Minister Paul Martin had sponsored the
bill that legalized same-sex marriage, said Rev. John Walsh, priest
of Martin's home parish in Montreal, he would always be welcome to
receive the Sacrament. A CanWest News Service report quoted his
explanation: "We can't use the Eucharist as a time … to judge a
person's conscience by refusing them communion." .
. .So the plain Catholic layman can be forgiven for asking: Are
there now two Catholic churches in Canada – the one that expects
Catholic politicians to vote for Catholic morality in Canadian law,
and the one that doesn't?. . .
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- Seeking marriage on the streets, romantic
or what? China
Daily, China, Oct 14, 2005
Seeking a life-long partner, a young
man in Northeast China has come up with a somewhat novel idea -
standing by the side of the street
holding an
advertisement for himself. . . In his advertisement, the young man
says that he is 33 years old, 182 centimeters high, single and
running his own company. He is seeking a wife under 30, who is 162
centimeters or more tall, beautiful and smart. When being asked why
chose this way to find a wife, he says the Internet is too
unreliable for finding a life-long partner, and he doesn't trust
matchmaking agents either. . .
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- Alabama first lady plans big marriage
renewal ceremony Dateline Alabama, AL, Oct
14, 2005
Alabama first lady
Patsy Riley would like to invite all married Alabamians to
Montgomery for a mass ceremony to renew their wedding vows with her
husband presiding . . . Patsy Riley wants to conduct a Month of
Marriage campaign in February to try to reduce Alabama's high
divorce rate. The ceremony, patterned after one launched by the
wife of Utah's governor, would include the mass renewal ceremony at
the Capitol followed by a cake-and-punch reception. .
. The campaign would
also recognize couples who have been married for more than 60
years, with one couple winning a weekend getaway. Teenagers would
write essays about what marriage means to them. Every minister in
the state would be encouraged to preach for four Sundays about the
virtues of marriage, she said. . .
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- Census: Couples in East, West wait longer to get married CNN.com, AP, October 13, 2005
A Census Bureau study being released Thursday found many regional differences in the marrying habits of Americans, with those near the East and West coasts generally waiting longer to get married than those in Middle America. The study also found that Southerners are the least likely to live together without getting married. . . The Census Bureau analyzed data from the American Community Survey from 2000 to 2003, developing state-by-state averages on marriage and fertility for the first time. . . Among the study's findings: 29 percent of all new mothers were unmarried. Among the unmarried mothers, half were poor, compared with 12 percent of married mothers who lived in poverty. "Single parenthood and poverty are about as closely related as you can get," . . .
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- Tori Spelling's husband files for
divorce People magazine.com, Oct 13, 2005
Tori Spelling's estranged husband, Charlie Shanian,
has filed for divorce from the former Beverly Hills, 90210
star, just 15 months after their lavish $1-million wedding. . .
Shanian previously declined to comment about the breakup. But
according to a source close to Spelling, by the beginning of
August, when she was in Ottawa to film the TV movie Mind over
Murder, she and Shanian were "living separate lives." Away on
the set for three weeks, "She realized the relationship was not
right for her," says her friend. She also realized was developing
feelings for costar Dean McDermott. . . .
- Theron Says Marriage Is Not Her Thing ABC News.com, Oct 13,
2005
Charlize Theron says marriage is
"not her thing", but she isn't ruling out the possibility of
becoming a mother someday. In an interview on "Access Hollywood"
that aired Tuesday, the 30-year-old actress said she was "happy for
people who want to get married." But, she said, "it's not my
thing." . . . "I'm extremely happy in my relationship," said
Theron, who has dated Stuart Townsend for several years. "I would
love to have kids." . . .
- Report: It's Over for Jude and Sienna
ABC News.com,
AP, October 12, 2005
Sienna Miller and Jude Law have ended their
engagement, months after he apologized for an affair with his
children's nanny, according to a published report. A London-based
representative for Miller, who became engaged to her "Alfie"
co-star last Christmas, refused comment Wednesday on the story,
which was posted on People magazine's Web site. The magazine did
not name any sources. . .
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The Most Effective Anti-Poverty Program
Ever Created? Marriage BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Oct 10,
2005
. . . What we are witnessing in the black community is the
impact of this loss of moral footing, of exchanging the idea of
family principles for family values -- “Different strokes for
different folks.” We have made divorce too easy, glorified
single parenthood and when it all began to fall apart,
looked not to reason and principle but to the
administrative state to solve our problems. . . .
. There are very valid reasons for replacing the almost heroic
status of single mothers with an embrace of abstinence and
marriage. Strengthening the marital institution provides stability
and safety for women and children, and it socializes men and
encourages them to live responsible lives. .
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- Thurman Still Struggling with Hawke Split Contactmusic.com- UK, Oct 10,
2005
Movie star UMA THURMAN is struggling
with the end of her five year marriage to ETHAN HAWKE,
now their divorce is official. In a candid interview on
Friday's (07OCT05) OPRAH show in America, the usually cool
KILL BILL star, who divorced Hawke in August (05), fought back
tears as she recalled the break-up of her marriage. She told host
Oprah Winfrey, "Half of America that gets married goes through what
I've just been through and it's extremely hard and it's hard on the
whole family. . .
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- 'Parkers' Star Mo'Nique
Has Twin Boys ABC News.com, Oct 10,
2005
Mo'Nique is seeing double and their names
are Jonathan and David. The "Parkers" star has given birth to twin
boys, her sister Millicent Imes said Friday. "She's doing well,"
Imes said. She said the boys were born last Monday. Their father is
Mo'Nique's fiance, Sidney Hicks. . .
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- Tony Danza Blasts Tom Cruise and Katie
Holmes Softpedia.com, By Mihaela Stroia,
Entertainment Editor, Oct 7, 2005
Danza: "Here's a guy out
there lecturing people about drugs, but out of wedlock births don't
seem to bother him." American actor and former boxer Tony Danza
blasted Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for having a child without
being married. Danza, 54, probably best-known for his appearance in
the TV sitcom "Who's the Boss?", declared he considers Tom a
hypocrite, because he preaches about not using medications and is
against psychiatry and immoral behaviors, when he's the one who
lives an immoral life, making babies without being married. The
talk show host says: "I'm a little upset about this. .
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- Tom and Katie: Bringing up
baby AZ Central.com, AZ -Oct 7,
2005
Now that the big shocker is over, the buzz
around Katie Holmes' pregnancy is all about how Scientology will
influence the birth and childhood of the stellar progeny. According
to IMDb.com and Ananova.com, Scientology supercouple John Travolta
and Kelly Preston are urging Holmes, 26, and fiancé Tom Cruise, 43,
to follow the church's strict doctrines and have a "silent birth"
next year.. . According to London's Daily Mirror, many
former Scientologists regret the type of parenting that founder L.
Ron Hubbard outlined in a series of controversial papers he penned
in 1986 . . . Holmes, who had vowed to stay a
virgin until her wedding night, may want to study a bit more before
embracing the religion for her new baby. It is speculated that
Cruise split from ex- wife Nicole Kidman after she objected to
raising their two adopted children, Connor and Isabella, according
to Scientology methods. . .
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- It’s Okay to Have a Selfish
Marriage Bella Online, By Kristen Houghton,
Oct 7, 2005
Recently I
heard our marriage referred to as “selfish” as in “you two are so
into each other, you’re selfish.” The comment was made by a
relative who wanted me to drive her and her husband to a furniture
warehouse, a trip that would take most of a Saturday. I refused
because I was meeting Alan in the city and there were things that I
had to do to be able to leave the house on time. .
.“Caring chiefly for
each other, our interest, and comfort” sums up what a couple should
have together. Caring for ourselves, putting each other first is an
important attribute of any married relationship. Husbands and wives
make up a unique partnership. Married, we sometimes take each other
for granted. Making the effort to keep appointments with each
other, caring about not keeping one another waiting, making sure
that “a date set is a date kept” are areas of a marriage that
couples should keep sacred. You and your spouse should always come
first in your lives. . .
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- Marriage and the Green Card (Revisited) 'Til Death Do Us
Part About.com, News &
Issues, NY, Oct 7, 2005
. . . Leading immigration attorney Carl
Shusterman gives you the low down in his recent chat with us on
getting a green card through marriage. . . during the
past 3 1/2 years there have been a lot of changes in laws and
procedures regarding obtaining permanent residence through
marriage. I hope in tonight's chat we can cover the basics and also
some of the updated rules. So without further ado, let's get to the
questions!
Question #1: What forms do I need to file with the BCIS for my
petition? I came from the UK for a visit, married a woman I met 3
months later, now what? . . .
Question #2: I filed with the INS and
now it's the BCIS. Does this change or delay things? Do the
waiting/processing times remain accurate?. . .
Question #11:
I am an Indian citizen have been a green card holder for the last 2 1/2 years. I am not
married yet but am planning to do so in the near future. .
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- Darryl Strawberry's wife files for
divorce San Jose Mercury News, United
States, Oct 7, 2005
TAMPA, Fla. - Darryl Strawberry's wife
has filed for divorce. Charisse Strawberry filed a petition for
dissolution of marriage from the former baseball star Friday in
Hillsborough County family court. "My marriage is past the point of
reconciliation, " the 37-year-old woman said in a statement
provided to The Associated Press. "I wish Darryl the best and
continue to pray for him.". . .
- There's No 'I' In
Marriage NBC
4.com, DC, By Laura Lewis- Life Files - Oct 6,
2005
I survived the first year of marriage. No lousy
T-shirt would do this experience justice. Everyone told me if we
could make it through the wedding, we'd make it through the first
year. If only the first year were as easy as planning a wedding --
which is no party at all. We have had more fights in this past year
than the two years before combined.. There are many differences
that we didn't notice or that didn't bother us much -- at least as
much -- before we got married. But the permanency our vows brought
also highlighted the neverending nature of our annoying habits....
This past month, luckily, we finally learned that there is no room
for "I" in marriage, no matter how you spell it. .
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- When it comes to breakups: Deny, deny,
deny MSNBC.com, Oct 6, 2005
NEW YORK - It's standard operating procedure for high
profile celebs to deny rumors. . . Life as a Hollywood couple means
perpetual breakup rumors — which means perpetual insistence that
“things are good.” But sometimes those denials simply mask the
truth — which inevitably emerges in full view. Just one day before
Renee Zellweger filed for an annulment from Kenny Chesney, she said
their marriage was fine. One month before Jennifer Lopez announced
that her engagement to Ben Affleck was kaput, Affleck told The
Associated Press “everything is fine ... everything is good.” And
one wonders why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would initially deny
what now seems obvious. The latest question of plausible
deniability concerns Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. The couple’s
publicists responded to magazine reports Wednesday with a statement
claiming “Nick and Jessica have not separated. Rumors to the
contrary are simply not true.”. . .
- When Love and Fame aren't
enough MSNBC.com, Commentary By Michael Ventre,
Oct 5,
2005
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson have
reportedly decided to call it quits. It shouldn’t come as a blow to
the solar plexus, because after all, the divorce rate in this
country is at 50 percent, and almost double that in Hollywood.
Besides, sometimes love grows and sometimes it fades, quite often
during the same evening. But Nick and Jessica
appeared as if they might break the mold.. . If they can’t make it
work, who’s next?. . .
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- The people's voice on gay
marriage
Boston Globe, By Jeff Jacoby, October 5, 2005
. . . . Five years ago,
Californians went to the polls and approved Proposition 22, a
ballot initiative confirming the traditional definition of
marriage. Unless they change their minds or are overruled by the
Supreme Court, Schwarzenegger said, their decision ought to be
binding. As his spokesperson put it in a statement, ''We cannot
have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails
that vote." Needless to say, liberal supporters of gay
marriage had a fit. . . . But it wasn't Schwarzenegger who was
being disingenuous, and it would be no bad thing if more
politicians showed comparable respect for laws passed at the polls.
Proposition 22 -- which read, in its entirety, ''Only marriage
between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" --
was ratified by a lopsided majority of California voters, winning
more than 4.6 million votes and carrying 52 of the state's 58
counties. What could the people possibly have done to make their
intent any clearer? . . . .
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- Aniston Reconciles With
Mother Contactmusic.com, UK -
Oct 5, 2005
Hollywood star JENNIFER ANISTON has
reconciled with her mother Nancy, nine years after they became
estranged. The former FRIENDS actress stopped speaking to Nancy
after she discussed her famous daughter on a US TV chat show in
1996 and subsequently wrote about Jennifer's childhood in FROM
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER TO FRIENDS in 1999. . . Jennifer tells Elle
magazine, "I'm thrilled. It's so wonderful. And who knew that this
(divorce) would be the thing to initiate this? . .
.
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- Singer 'Babyface' and Wife End
Marriage ABC
News.com - Oct 5, 2005
Add Kenny
"Babyface" Edmonds and his wife to the growing list of celebrity
bust-ups. Edmonds and his wife Tracey issued a statement Wednesday
announcing the end of their marriage after 13
years. They have two young children. The pair said they had
already been unofficially separated "for quite some time." . .
.
- Murphy Calls Up Pre- Nup as Divorce Heats
up Contactmusic.com, UK -
Oct 4, 2005
Funnyman
EDDIE MURPHY is recalling a 12-year-old pre-nuptial agreement with
his estranged wife NICOLE as their divorce gets messy. .
. And the bitter
comedian is calling for his and Nicole's kids to be kept away from
his estranged wife's new man, businessman ALAN
DANIELS. In the
divorce papers, he insists, "Nicole Murphy shall be restrained and
enjoined from having the children in the physical presence of Alan
F Daniels.". . .
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- Israel considers Canadian get
law Canadian
Jewish News, Canada, By Ron CSillag, Oct 5,
2005
Canadian law may soon be used to help
ease the plight of thousands of agunot in Israel... Following an
historic meeting near Tel Aviv last month, Israel is weighing
groundbreaking changes to its divorce laws modelled on
Canada’s amendments to the federal Divorce Act that prevent spouses from
using the get (the Jewish religious divorce) as a bargaining chip
to obtain concessions in civil divorce proceedings. .
. If the Canadian model is adopted in Israel, where
marriage and divorce are controlled solely by the religious
establishment, the plight of thousands of agunot (literally,
“chained women” who are denied a religious divorce and cannot
remarry Jewishly) would “dramatically” improve. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Quebec court
overturns historic get ruling Canadian Jewish News, By Janice
Arnold
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- Once dreaded, stigma of divorce easing in
China International Herald
Tribune, France, By Jim Yardley, The NY Times, Oct 4,
2005
GUANGZHOU, China- In this lush,
affluent region where adultery is so ingrained that
wealthy businessmen stash their lovers in "concubine
villages," infidelity is often tolerated. But Cai Shaohong could
not put up with it. So against the advice of her parents, Cai, 29,
decided in June to leave her husband. Five years of marriage
dissolved after 30 minutes of paperwork. She celebrated at a
teahouse with friends. By August, Cai, 29, was advising a friend
who had also decided to end her marriage with an unfaithful spouse.
"My friends think divorce is normal, not an unthinkable thing.". .
. Divorce was once a dreaded fate for women in China. Now, many
younger urban women like Cai view it almost as a civil right, which
has helped drive up divorce rates. . .
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- Don't be
manipulated by the master marketers Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, Oct 4,
2005
. . . Few people realize it, but the same marketing
techniques that companies use to induce us to buy
a particular product are just as useful when it comes to selling us
an idea. . . We’re bamboozled daily on a wide variety of subjects,
from abortion on demand for any reason to same-sex “marriage.” As
David [Kupelian] notes in his new book, The Marketing of Evil:
How Radicals, Elitists and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption
Disguised as Freedom: “The plain truth is, within the
space of our lifetimes, much of what Americans once almost
universally abhorred has been packaged, perfumed, gift-wrapped and
sold to us as though it had great value. By skillfully playing on
our deeply felt national values of fairness, generosity and
tolerance, these marketers have persuaded us to embrace as
enlightened and noble that which all previous generations since
America’s founding regarded as grossly self-destructive -- in a
word, evil.” . . .
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- Covering your assets in a divorce MSNBC.com, By Scott
Reeves, Oct 3,
2005
NEW YORK - Bad marriages
rarely make good divorces. Torturing your soon-to-be ex in divorce
court takes a little imagination mixed with viciousness and great
gobs of money. If you want to make life miserable for the person,
you can — often with the help of your attorney, who has a vested
interest in litigating every little thing and running up the bill.
. . For some, there is no depth left unplumbed in divorce. . .
Personal finance is promising territory for mischief in the hands
of a nasty ex. You can fend off much of your ex's nastiness by
taking some basic steps, including:
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- Q & A: Dad cuts ties to daughter after her interracial marriage Monterey County Herald, CA - Oct 3, 2005
Dear Abby: Two years ago, I married a wonderful man I'll call "Kenny." I am white and Kenny is black. After I announced my marriage, my father stopped taking my phone calls and e-mails, and refuses to have any contact with me whatsoever. He has never even met my spouse. . . I knew his feelings on interracial marriage when I married Kenny, but how long should a 45-year-old woman let a parent's disapproval stand in the way of her own happiness?
Dear Daughter: At age 45, you made a mature decision. You knew when you married your husband that there would be a price tag for your happiness, and this is it. Face it: Your father is a racist whose prejudice is more important to him than your happiness. Please waste no more time hoping he will "mellow.". . .
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